Clutch



March 31, 1925. 1 1,531,341

E. H. LICHTENBERG CLUTCH Filed May 29, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f iii-.1; 8 K M To all whom it may concern was Ma. 31, 1925.

' UNITED STATES ERICK H. Lronrnmana or mnwauxnn, wrsconsm, assrenoa T KOEHRING com PANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A. CORPORATION.

cmrron.

' Be it known that I, Enron H. LIoirrEN- nERo, aciti'zen of the United States, residmg at Milwaukee,"in the county of Milwaua kee. and. State of Wisconsin, have invented certain -new and useful Improvements in Clutches, of which the following is a spec fication.

and when so clutched to thereby transmit.

the

This invention embodies improvementsin clutches of the, friction disc or plate type.

The inventionhas' to do particularly witha type of clutch wherein the driven discs or lates have an interlocking connection with a driven member,'said driven discs being normally stationary but adapted to be clutched to a driving member oi shaft by friction,

driving movement from the driving membe:- to the driven member. Where driven discs or clutching plates of theinterlocking type are used, it is nownthat when the load is received thereon b .the action of clutch' ing the discs to the riving member, a very considerable amount of wear takes place at the oints wherethe discs interlock with riven member. This wear necessitates replacement of the interlocking clutch plates or discs at intervals dependent u on the particular work which the clutc performs. Ordinarily there is no provision for the taking up of this wear.

Essentialob'jects of the-invention, therefore, are the design of my clutch whereby I use clutch plates having elements for interlocking with a driven member, which elements are provided. with relatively large areas of contact with the interlocking portions, so as to reduce to a minimum the amount of work incident to the shock of the interlocking elements of said clutch plates,

and those of the driven member. coming toether; the provision of an'arrangement-of such drivenclutch plates so that their elements which interlock with the driven member engage the latter at different points so as to afford in this way additional and eater bearing intermediate the plate and riven parts; and additional provisions by which a relative shifting of the driven clutch plates may be efi'ected, so as to bring their interlocking elements or bearing lugs into engagement with new or fresh portions of the cooperating lugs or bearing elementsof the driven member, and in this way bring into cooperation fresh bearing surfaces between Application filed May 2a, 1923. semi-arm. 642,290.

the plate and'driven parts, doing away with the play that is incident to a previous cooperation of these parts where they have worked together for a considerable period of time.

. Still another object'of the invention has been to so design the several driven clutch plates and driven member that the space which these parts take is-not increased notwithstanding that I am using interlocking bearing members between them possessing greater areas of contact than heretofore, and therefore greater strength and wear reducing advantages." Still another purpose of theinvention has been to provide a construction of driven clutch discs or plates and driven member, wherein the adjustment of the clutch plates relatively to the driven member, to bring into co-operation the fresh interlo'ckin or contacting elements, can be very quic ly and readily effected by simple operations of parts already known and used in the art. With the foregoing and other objects i view, a full comprehension of the invention and its advantages will be had on reference to the following description in conjunction with the annexed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a clutch em- 'bodymgthe invention, with the several parts assembled.

.Fi re 2 is a view in elevation of one of the interlocking driven clutch plates or discs, two of which are employed for the purposes of the invention.

Fi ure 3 is asectional view of the driven clutc plate of Fig. 2, the section being taken about on the line 3-3 of the latter figure.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the assembled clutch parts taken about on the line 4 -4 of Fig. 1.

Fi re. 5 is a sectional view of the center dependent upon-the particular purpose for which the clutch is designed. In other words, the driven member 2 may be formed with a spur gear, a bevel gear, or a winding .drum, in an obvious manner, being characterized generally therefore. as a driven member. On the driving shaft 1 s keyed the driving member 3 which takes the form of a master clutch plate or disc fixed to the. shaft 1 by means of a key designated a. Assembled onthe master clutch plate-3 are driven friction discs or plates tiaand 6" which are of like form, shown best in Fig. 2, and beconnection with the spool or sleeve 13 that tween these two plates is a center friction,

plate 7, the several-friction plates being held place by a front or outermost fric- I tion plate 8. The hub portion of the. master friction plate 3 is threaded, as, shownat 9,

to receive the adjusting ring 10, t r hi h ring are pivoted the toggle links 11 which in turn are pivotally connected with the toggle yokes 12, the latter having pivotal is usuall engaged by a clutch yoke operated in t 1e customary manner by a lever for shifting the clutch parts in the well known way. I do not illustrate the clutch yoke or its lever as the same are immaterial to the invention. The particular type of clutch shown is what is known as self locking when the spool or sleeve 13 is forced toward the master clutch plate so as to' effect an application of the clutch, the clutch remaining in action until a reverse movement ofthe part 13 is completed either manually orautomatically.

The inventive features of my invention 49 reside in the construction of my parts 5, 6

and 7 primarily in conjunction with bearing lugs or interlocking elements on the driven member 2. The novel features will now be described.

Each of the drivenclu'tch plates 5 and 6 may be characterized as an interlocking clutch plate, because it is equipped as seen :in Fig. 2, with the opposite pairs of en- .gaging lugs 14 which are adapted to engage 0 with inwardly projecting lugs 15 on the ..d'riven--.-clutc'h member or housing unem'bergfl is equipped with 41 of the lugs- 2. The

{1.5, and said lugs are relatively long, extending almost the entire depth of the hous-' ing:,..;as seen best in Fig. 1. Additionally it Is notable on reference to Fig. 3, that the lugs 114 are relatively long being considerably longer than the thickness of the clutch v plate by which they are. carried. Another feature to be especially noticed is that the 'pairs of lugs 14 of the disc or plate 5 engage with the lugs 15 at diametrically 0pposite points in the driven member 2, and the corresponding lugs 14 of the likewise engage with the lugs 15 of the placed in an obvious manner.

plate 6 member2 at'diametrically opposite points,

but located at degrees fro n the lugs 15 "witlrwvhichthe lugs l t- 0f the plate 5 en- -which the lugs 14 of the plate 6 engage, I

am able to use lugs 11 of greater length than the thickness of the plates 5 and (S, and still shift these plates as necessary to cause the frictional engagement of the parts 3, 5,7, 6 and 8. If the lugs 11 of the plate 5 were exactly opposite those of the plate 6, the parts would interfere with one anr I other.; Furthermore, by the arrangement which I have referred to, it will be seen that I obtain between theplatesf) and 6- and the variouslugs 15-of the driven member 2, a very considerable contacting area, advantageous from the viewpoint of strength, broad bearing surface, and reduction of wear, having in view the engaging action of the lugs 14 on the lugs 15 when the clutch is thrown in.

Thecoroperating sides of the several .90

plates 3, 5, 7, 6 and-8 are supplied with suitseveral clutch plates from frictional contact and permit the turning of the plates 3 and 8 when theclutch is inactive, at which time, of course, the driven member 2 is stationary. After a continued period of use there may be some wear between the lugs '14 of the disc or plate 6 and the portions of the lugs 15 of the member 2 with which they engage. By unscrewing the adjusting ring 10 the front plate 8 maybe detached, and the said plate 6 given a quarter turn to bring its lugs 14 into engagement with the other lugs 15 of the member 2. At the same time, the lugs. 14 of the plate 5 will be correspondingly adjusted by a quarter turn of that plate after partial removal from -the housing driven member 2, so that the plate 5 will le interlocked with those lugs 15 which were previously interlocked with the plate,6. Under these conditions fresh bearing portions between the plates 5 and 6 and the driven member 2 are brought into action, doi ug away with the play that previously might have been experienced owing to wear. \Vhen the lugs 14. of the plates 5 and 6 have been reengaged with different lugs of the member 2 from those previously engaged, the front plate 8 and adjusting ring 10 may he re- The advan tages of the foregoing arrangement and adjustment will be very obvious without further elucidation.

It will be understood that there may be conditions which will permit of removal of able friction substances, such as Raybestos loo with new or fresh lugs 15 as previously out lined. The plates 5 and 6 are of like formation, and therefore may be applied so as to be used either as inner or outer plates, Without difliculty. The lugs M are reinforced in their connection with the bodiesof xthe plates 5 and 6 by extendingwebs' llri.

cast integrally with the peripheries of the plates in an obvious manner on reference to Fig. 2.

The formation ofv the peripheralwebs 14 on the plates 5 and 6 is advantageous because the said webs overhang the Ray-' besto-s or other facing provided for the clutch plates mentioned, thus tending to hold the facing or lining substance in place] Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let;

ters Patent, is: y v 1."In a clutch, a driven member provided with a plurality of relatively long clutch lugs, a plurality of driven clutch plates having clutch lugs, the lugs of each clutch plate engaging certain ones of the clutch lugs of the driven member, different from those that are engaged by the clutch lugs of other driven clutch plates, means for interchanging the engagement of the driven clutch plates with the said clutch lugs of the driven member tobring fresh bearing portions between said parts into action, and a driving clutch plate operatively associated with the driven clutch plates.v

2. In a clutch, a driven clutch member comprising a driven clutch drum having relatively long clutch lugs, a plurality of driven clutch plates arranged within the drum and having clutch lugs, the lugs of each driven clutch plate engaging certain ones of the clutch lugs of the drum different from those that are engaged by the clutch lugs of other driven clutch plates, means whereby the driveifftclutch plates may be turned partial revolutions and reassembled in the drum to interchange the engagement of the clutch plate lugs with the clutch lugs of the drum to provide freshbearlng portions between the lugs, and a driving clutch plate operatively associated with the driven clutch plates. N

53. In combination, a driven clutch mem ber havin relatively long clutch lugs, a driving c utch means including driven clutch plates each havin a set of lugs to engage with the lugs of are driven member at certain points in the lengths of the latter, the clutch lugs of one driven. clutch plate,

driven-member at different points from the points of engagement of the clutch hi 5 of however, engaging the clutch lugs of the the other driven clutch plate, means w icre- I by the driven clutch plates may he turned partial revolutions to bring into bearing engagement fresh surfaces between the clutch,

lugs of the driven clutch member and those of the said driven clutch" plates, a driving L clutch plate intermediate said driven clutch plates, and means tending normally to step-- arate the clutch plates.

4.,In a clutch, a. driven clutch member Y comprisin a housing having internal lugs, driving clutch means including a master clutch plate within the housing, a front friction plate closing the housing, and clutch plates intermediate said master clutch plate and the front clutch plate, the clutch lugs of the driven member housing being relatively long, and each of said clutch plates being equipped with clutch lugs to engage certain ones of the clutch lugs of the driven member housing different from those that are engaged by the clutch'lugs ofthe other.

clutch plate, and means for interchanging the engagement of the clutch plates with the said clutch lugs of the driven'member hous ing to bring fresh bearing portions between said parts into action. a

5. In a clutch, a driven clutch member comprising a housing having internal lugs, driving clutch means including a master clutch plate withinthe housing, a front friction plate closing the housing, and clutch plates intermediate said master clutch plate and the front clutch plate, the clutch lugs of the driven member housing being relatively long, and each of said clutch plates being equipped with clutch lugs to engage certain ones of the clutch lugs of the driven member housing different from those that are engaged by the clutch lugs of the other clutchplate, means for interchanging the engagement of the-clutch plates with the said clutch lugs of the driven member housing to bring fresh bearing portions between said parts into action, and a center friction plate located intermediate the said clutch plates, with means tending to hold the clutch plates. apart from the other plates between which they are arranged as well as the cen ter clutch plate.

6. In a clutch, a driven clutch member comprisin driving 0 utch means including a master clutch plate withinthe housing, a front friction plate'closing the housing, and clutch a housing having internal lugs, 20

are engaged by the clutch lugs 0'; the other clutch plate, means for interchanging the engagement of the clutch plates with the said clutch lugs of the driven member housing to bring fresh bearing portions between said'parts into action, and a center friction plate located intermediate the said driving clutch plates, with means tendin to hold the clutch plates apartfrom the other plates 10 between which they are arranged as well as the center clutch plate, the clutch lugs of the clutch plates being of greater length than the thickness of said plates and overlapping the center clutch plate, together with means permitting axial movement of the clutch plates to enable their interchanging adjustment previously mentioned. I

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

' ERIOH H. LICHTENBERG. 

